Learning to Love Like Jesus - Visual Exploration of Akiane Kramarik Paintings

Posted by Carol Corneliuson on April 18, 2018

LEARNING TO LOVE LIKE JESUS

Akiane Kramarik on Love and Compassion, A Visual Exploration

Akiane Kramarik often describes herself as a visionary journalist. Using paint and canvas, she reports what she sees both in the heavenly realms and in cultures throughout the world. Akiane tells us with each brush stroke that her heart’s desire is to paint beauty and share hope. Akiane offers Love, Compassion, and Hope through each painting and poem she creates. Akiane says:

“The art of life is in loving and listening to one another.”

“If we put others before ourselves—we are already abundantly rich.”

“I wish that people could love more.”

“I have been blessed by God … there is one reason … and that is to help others.”

Akiane, like most of God’s everyday missionaries, cultivates the practice of faith, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion by focusing on the Lord and putting others first. Here are a few Akiane Kramarik paintings that speak of different types of love and compassion:

A Mother’s Love:

Akiane paints Jesus mother Mary in "Mother’s Love," speaking of the eternal love of a child.

Abiding Love:

Akiane paints “First & Love is Never Alone” inviting us to create our own love story. "What God has joined together let no one separate.” Mark 10

Agape Love:

Akiane Paints "Loves" shows the hand of Almighty God with 50 children in different stages of development. Created for her dad’s 50th birthday. This image speaks of the nurturing agape love of our Heavenly Father.

Father God’s Love:

Akiane Kramarik’s painting titled "Prince of Peace" (also known as the resurrection painting of Jesus) cannot be described with words. Akiane's portrait of Jesus Christ speaks of the everlasting love of God who loved us so much he sent Jesus to each of us providing all the opportunity to spend our eternity with Him.

Of all the virtues taught throughout the Bible, none is so abundant as compassion and Godly love! Bearing another’s burdens is a high calling that Jesus modeled throughout his ministry.

What Is Compassion?

If you enjoy exploring the depths of words meaning: Compassion is defined as an enigmatic and powerful emotion. UCADIA describes compassion as “…the physical synchronization of two people (or more) in the presence of one another in the present moment.” Hailing from the Latin stem compati, Compassion means to “suffer with” or to have “co-suffering.” To translate even further, Compassion means to have sympathy and empathy, even pity, for others. Paul put it simply in Galatians 6:2 when he said:

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

"Barefoot" Children are bearing one another's burden. Read more

Below is a picture of Akiane in her studio at age 9 with her portrait of Jesus praying for our forgiveness before he was crucified. Akiane spoke on pity in her poem accompanying the painting “Father Forgive Them,” which read: “My cross is nailed into me / I pity the fingers that scourge my face….” We often associate pity with a negative connotation, yet it often means that we are feeling, empathy, sorrow, and compassion for the suffering caused by others. Jesus believed this for the men who nailed Him to the cross. He knew they were blindly following orders and the pain they caused Him was not of their choice.

Jesus also showed compassion when He lived among his disciples and was unafraid to touch those stricken with leprosy or be in the company of those people thought less of by society, such as prostitutes and other outcasts. He reprimanded tax collectors and the religious elites who shunned the less fortunate. He admonished those, namely the Pharisees, who sought to do good deeds for the praise received rather than out of sheer compassion.

Jesus empathized with people. He was the living embodiment of his Father’s unconditional love. Race and economic status meant nothing to Him; Jesus always has and always will have time for everyone.

“But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth.” 1 John 3:17-18 (NKJV)

How to Love Like Jesus?

Jesus set the perfect standard that we often fall short of - yet for the sake of having compassion even for ourselves, we must remember He understands our imperfections, we make mistakes, and He realizes our human frailties. However, because of his grace and example, we strive and do our best to be as compassionate, forgiving, and kind as He is. Jesus showed compassion not merely through words or His tears, but also demonstrating His love through his actions.

Compassion is the emotion that compels us to help others in need. Whether it is to give a few dollars to the homeless, run food drives and charities, let the exhausted woman skip ahead of you in line, are helpful to someone who has wronged you, or to hold a friend as their world crumbled around them. When you practice compassion, kindness, and forgiveness, you love as Jesus loves. Compassion brings people together through love and forgiveness. It is the golden rule in action as we intentionally remember to “Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31) by overcoming selfishness and ego and listening, loving and lending a hand.

Love your neighbor as you would yourself.
Matthew 22:39

“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.By transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.”
Mother Teresa

By demonstrating loving kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, and compassion, we allow the love of Jesus to flow through us. We are called to love one another as we love ourselves. When we love ourselves with the same compassion as the Lord loves us, we begin to understand what Jesus said when he taught us to pray. Thy kingdom, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Examples of the Compassion of Jesus in the Bible

Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Hebrews 2:17

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

Matthew 15:32

And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have had nothing to eat;

and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."

Isaiah 63:9

In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them;

In His love and His mercy, He redeemed them; He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

Matthew 8:3

Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:16-17

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES."

Matthew 9:36

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them,

because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 14:14

When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

Matthew 18:11-13

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.] "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

Matthew 20:34

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

Matthew 23:37

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

Mark 6:34

When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

Mark 8:2-3

"I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. "If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance."

Luke 19:41-42

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

John 11:34-38

"Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved him!"

John 18:8-9

Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way," to fulfill the word which He spoke, "Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one."

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake, He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Tags: akaine kramarik, heaven is for real painting of jesus, Jesus, prince of peace, Resurrection painting of jesus

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2 comments

Thank You for showing us Jesus through your work. God bless You Akaine!

Kati on March 01, 2017
Never have we witnessed a better “evangelist” than Akiane in sharing the good news of Jesus’ love and compassion. A true blessing to all the world. Thank you, Akiane.

BOb Johnson on September 01, 2016

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